A Tribute: Good Cars And Fine Racehorses

I am easing back into regular posting today. Part of the reason I have been gone so long is that my beloved car, a 1992 5-speed manual-transmission Toyota Camry with almost 250,000 miles on it, is dying. It started acting up last Monday while I was down East. None of my Father's considerable mechanical skills were passed on to me (unless you count the ability to put IV's, ET tubes and such in babies & children). As a result, I had the stereotypical woman's (unfortunate/expensive) experience of taking the car to a "reputable" Toyota dealer in Eastern NC to get the problem diagnosed. I wound up spending several hundred dollars on things that did not need to be replaced (water pump, timing chain, belts, seals) . How do I know they did not need to be replaced? Because when I drove the thing off their lot, the car was still making the very ominous noises I drove it in with. So this weekend when I got home, I dropped it off at a local shop my Dad used to frequent (Lawson & Parks in Asheboro - by our family's experience, they're good honest people), and got some way-bad news. It's the engine and my poor baby is on her last leg. Replacing the engine would cost much more than the car's blue-book value, and there are no guarantees something else would not go wrong tomorrow.

Deeply traumatized, I called everyone I knew last night (Mom, boyfriend, brother, Ya-ya sisters) to try and talk me into salvaging the car. The votes are in. It's time to trade.

I love this car. It is a part of me. After almost 15 years, the front seat was literally molded to my butt, and the five-speed manual transmission is the smoothest-shifting thing you could ever imagine - akin to a warm knife through butter. Like the Johnny Cash song says, "Chessie" and I have been everywhere together. D.C., New Orleans, Memphis, Charleston, Savannah, Destin . . . literally ALL over the south as well as up&down the eastern seaboard. If the dirt & sand embedded in the floorboard carpet could talk!!! Every dent & ding had a good story behind it - and gave "Chessie" (named for the Chesapeake & Ohio RR's sleeping kitten) great character. I also took great pride in the car's longevity, as well as the fact that it did not exactly fit in with all of the other Lexuses and Mercedes in my neighborhood.

One of the docs at the hospital today said, "I thought that thing was a Buick".

He also said I'd "look good" in a BMW. But I am not one to put a lot of stock in expensive, fancy cars as a doctor's status symbol, and the high cost of gasoline compels me to forget about an SUV, so I will likely go with another Camry. I thought I wanted an "all-wheel drive" vehicle (AWD is not available with the Camry), but some reading on the subject - as well as a long conversation with my brother ("the pilot" . . . who did inherit much of Dad's mechanical knowledge), has pretty much put that notion to bed. Likewise, given the amount of driving I do, I'm not brave enough to trust the hybrids.

Wish me luck as I make my decision, and say good-bye to a good car. Remember that Bill Mauldin cartoon of the WW II soldier shooting his Jeep? That's how I feel.

"Horsepower" lends itself to another story I've been following in the news - that of the Kentucky Derby champion, Barbaro and his tragic, career-ending injury at the Preakness Stakes. I have always been fascinated with horses (even though I do not ride). The thoroughbred racehorses are beautiful, majestic animals - and the "Triple Crown" races are always a good show. When I heard about what happened to Barbaro (and read about the horrific nature of the injury), I assumed they would wind up putting him down - as happened with the little filly that broke my heart (Ruffian) in 1975 (Joan Baez did a cover of "Stewball" as a tribute to Ruffian, and it always makes me cry). A horse breaking a leg is not just about the break itself. It's about the need for a horse to distribute its weight equally, and avoid vascular & infectious complications. But things are very different in 2006 than they were in 1975, and Barbaro has a fairly decent chance of surviving to stud. The X-Rays of the break(s) and the lengths to which the vets/owners have gone to facilitate a repair are mind-blowing. It is simply amazing what they've been able to do for this horse.

I did find the commentary in this story interesting - it certainly made a good point about what stories grab and hold the public's attention.

But it's not so hard to understand. I just like horses. And underdogs. And I am the worst kind of sucker for a sick/injured animal. I hope Barbaro can recover.

And Chessie, you were a good car.